“Our schools weren’t created for our students of color, students that are experiencing homelessness, or students with housing issues. So, what are we going to do to work with our partners to make sure that our students can still excel at high levels?”
– Superintendent
Tornadoes. Floods. School closures. A historical past of inequity and lack of funding. And two years in the past, the beginning of a world pandemic. Leaders of Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) and their group didn’t must face these challenges alone—they’d a method in place to mobilize their group by way of well-established partnerships constructed on belief and years of working collectively. When the pandemic hit, MNPS and their group college companions have been capable of present college students and households with meals, books, diapers for households with younger kids—together with different requirements. They ensured continued assist in a time of uncertainty.
With 34 established group schools, MNPS’s superintendent (a former group college principal) is now utilizing federal restoration funds to spend money on 26 new group schools and deepen the transformative work that the pandemic jumpstarted. Community schools work in partnership with group organizations, households, and different companies to advance scholar outcomes by integrating scholar helps, energetic household and group engagement, collaborative management practices, and expanded and enriching studying time.
According to Alison McArthur, the district’s director of Community Achieves (the district division that manages group schools implementation), their method is “about strategic alignment, partner support, academic enrichment, tutoring, extended learning, attendance initiatives, basic needs, and school culture.” The group college initiative focuses on supporting college students to help them thrive. Alison provides, “We view this as a strategy for student success.”
Such a method requires intentional and centered management. Superintendents have taken on surprising management roles over the previous two years underneath extraordinarily troublesome circumstances. They grew to become decisionmakers about public well being, participated in political battles over masking and faculty reopening, engaged the group in how one can spend restoration funds to fulfill essentially the most urgent wants, and addressed staffing shortages—all whereas persevering with the duties that they have been skilled for, similar to budgeting, tutorial decisionmaking, and constructing a central workplace workforce. The urgency and complexity of the state of affairs has taken a toll—many superintendents from the most important districts are leaving whereas many others are contemplating a change.
At the identical time, superintendents acknowledge the necessity to take a complete method to restoration, to know the lived realities of scholars each inside and out of doors of the college constructing. According to an evaluation of a survey of superintendents on American Rescue Plan funding, the School Superintendents Association (AASA) discovered that superintendents recognized funding priorities that included, “expanding whole child supports, including social, emotional, mental, and physical health and development.” The evaluation continues to say that the affiliation expects that districts will deal with these complete little one investments “well beyond the [American Rescue Plan] ARP expenditure timeline of 2024.”
These investments require an organizing technique.
The want for a group schools technique
While packages and companies to assist the entire little one are an apparent response to the risky and inequitable impacts of COVID-19, many superintendents aren’t ready for how one can get companions and households—the energy of our communities—to work collectively in a strategic approach.
Earlier this 12 months, AASA convened a bunch of its members at its annual National Conference on Education to speak about group schools. Specifically, superintendents mentioned what they already knew concerning the technique, about their communities’ enduring and rising wants, and about how one can create sustainable and impactful districtwide initiatives to fulfill their objectives.
The superintendents got here from principally small districts with scholar populations starting from almost 38,000 to fewer than 600. Most superintendents represented smaller districts—often lower than 10,000 college students—too usually ignored of coverage discussions.
Regardless of dimension or geography, the superintendents spoke about shared challenges in addressing starvation, housing insecurity, the opioid epidemic, the pandemic, and the continuing impacts of systemic poverty and racism. They wished to study strategic partnerships that might faucet into new and current sources.
All described some measure of partnership with their group, similar to nonprofits, church buildings, or organizations like United Way (although most of these organizations have been usually restricted within the smallest districts), that might join them to extra sources. As one superintendent stated, “I’ve seen it [partnerships] done differently in different districts. I can tell you, everybody has a different methodology of how to have partnerships.” Superintendents overwhelmingly wished to be taught extra concerning the greatest transformational practices of group schools.
Just a few frequent themes and questions emerged from the dialogue:
- Uncertainty concerning the position of group schools and their objectives. Superintendents had fundamental information about group schools however weren’t clear on a definition. They described variation even inside their very own states on how group schools are understood. What is the main target of group schools—integrating companies, enhancing teachers, or each?
- The altering position of schools. Superintendents famous that the pandemic and different adjustments throughout society have made them rethink the position of schools. One chief famous that maybe schools want to alter, saying, “We have to redefine what schools are.” With elevated want in our communities—from well being to starvation—ought to schools be the place the place companies are delivered? Are they ready for this altering position? Who are the companions required and the way are they organized?
- Alignment with management and district objectives. Naturally, leaders of districts wished to make sure that companions are aligned with their district’s objectives. What are the methods for alignment inside district workplaces and throughout group establishments?
- How do districts strategically mobilize companions? Leaders, particularly in smaller districts, mirrored concern about having the systems-level infrastructure, together with human capital, to assist group schools. What instruments, funding helps, and examples can be found for leaders to be taught from?
Currently, there’s a historic alternative for district leaders to begin and maintain group schools at a techniques stage. Community schools have gotten extra accepted as a transformational technique and funding has additionally elevated. The White House and U.S. Department of Education proceed to carry up group schools. There are $75 million new federal {dollars} for a group schools grant program simply accepted by Congress; states similar to California, Maryland, and New York have statewide group college grants (with California beginning a groundbreaking $3 billion grant program); and group schools could also be used with the substantial restoration funds created by Congress.
Superintendents want a method to prepare sources, authentically have interaction the group, leverage current property, and meet the wants of scholars and the group. They advised us that they wish to perceive what group schools are and how one can strategically use them and different funding alternatives to transform education techniques. This is why the work of the Community Schools Forward activity pressure will help present the sort of steering and will probably be so welcomed by superintendents throughout the nation.